Mail receiving and delivering mechanism for railways.



P. H. BURR; MAIL REGEIVING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS. v

I APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1903. N0 MODEL.

PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

2 SHEEN-SHEET 1. I

M M I J} H 64 PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904.

- '1". H. BURR. MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1903,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

lt 21 7166664, gbiwo a 1 ,9 i4 ,3 Q @W 6 Q u 1 N Q Patented June 7, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN H. BURR, OF ATLANTIC, IOWVA.

MAIL RECEIVING AND DELIVERING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,874, dated June '7', 1904.

Application filed July 15, 1903. Serial N0. 165,712. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN I-I. BURR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantie, in the county of Cass, and State of Iowa, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Receiving and Delivering Mechanism for Railways, of which the following is provide means whereby compressed-air or steam will be automatically admitted to the operating mechanismto actuate saiddelivering devices.

It is further intended to provide a simple, durable, and efficient construction and one which is readily adaptable to mail-cars nowv 1n use.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a railway-car, showing the application of the device thereto and ,the arrangement of the auxiliary apparatus at the side of the track; Fig. 2, a bottom plan view of the car, showing the arrangement of the air pipes, cylinders, and levers; Fig. 3, a vertical cross-section of the car body and equipment along line3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 a perspective View of the operating-levers.

In the drawings, 1 denotes a car; 2, the swinging crane or bag-catcher arranged across the door in the usual manner and having an inwardly-projecting handle 2.

3 denotes the stationary catcher-.post. or crane at the side of the track, and 4 a receiving-box or housing having a door 5 at one end secured by hinges at its upper end and adapted to swing inwardly, and leading forwardly from the door-sill and parallel with the track is a floor 6, having on eachside guard-rails 7, the floor and guide-rails being designed to catch the mail-bags as they are delivered thereto by the mechanism hereinafter described.

The delivering-frame 8. hinged or pivoted in the doorway of one side of the car, is a rectangular frame having an apron 9, and the inner end has a bail 10 and connecting-rod 10,

which is hinged to the inner end of the handle 2. Midway between the ends this frame is hinged to the vertically-disposed limbs 11 of a horizontal bar 12 at brackets 13, secured to the side of the car. A fixed depending arm 14:18 pivotally connected with alever 15, which extends horizontally beneath the car-body and isconnected at its opposite end with a piston rod 16 of a piston adapted to work within an air-cylinder l7 beneath the car. Each side of the car is similarly equipped to operate inopposite directions for actuating the deliveringframe at either side of the car. The rods 16 extend beyond the ends of the cylinders, being supported in guide-brackets l8, depending from the car; In operation the deliveryframe 8 when thrown outwardly or dumped,

so it falls down and rests vertically alongside the car-body, draws down the arm 2. which correspondingly throws up or out the catching-arm 2 so it is in position to catch the bag on post 3. By this arrangement a single man: ual operation is required to manipulate the air-valve levers for desired purposes.

The receiving-box 4 is made airtight when closed except at the door thereof, and the lat ter swinging inwardly compresses the air in the box, thus providing an air-cushion which greatly breaks the impact of the mail-bag as it strikes the door 5.

A longitudinally-disposed pipe 22 is located on each end of the air-cylinders 17, both pipes being connected at one end by a branch 23 with an air-reservoir 19, the other respective ends of the pipes 22 being connected with the opposite ends of the cylinders 17 in such manner that when air is admitted to pipes 22 from the air-reservoir the piston-rods 16 will move inwardly. This reservoir is beneath the car and is connected by a branch pipe 20 with the train-pipe 21, which supplies air to the brakecylinders. A check -valve 20 is placed in branch pipe 20 to vprevent air in reservoir 19 from flowing toward the train-pipe during the braking operation. On a line with one of the jambs 24 of the door-the pipes 25 are pro.- vided with valves, each of which is adapted to be operated by a lever 26. These levers have each a link 27, which is connected with the right-angled arm 28 on the lower end of the vertical bar 29, which extends up through the floor of the car, terminating in a right-angled arm 30. Parallel with this bar is asimilar bar 31, also provided with a right-angled arm 32, the upper ends of both bars being held by a bracket 33, attached to the inside of the car. The lower end of the bar 31 has a horizontal arm 34, which when the bar is swung around will project out beyond the side of the car and engage with an adjustable arm 35, hinged to a post 36. This adjustable arm has a buffer-head 37, against which the arm34 engages as the car passes by, and the object is to cause the movement of the car to swing the arm around, and thus operate the airvalves, as will now be explained.

The upper ends of the bars 29 31 have segmental toothed wheels 38 39,which are adapted to engage with each other, the segment 39 having a flange 40 above the teeth 41, so that the teeth 42 of the segment 38 will rest beneath the flange 40 when the teeth of the two segments are in engagement with each other. Normally the segment 38 is above the segment 39, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 3; but when the arm 34 is to be set the rod 31 is turned and depressed so that the segment 38 rests under the flange 40 with the teeth of the two segments in engagement with each other. The bottom view, Fig. 2, shows the arrangement of the segments and arm 34 when properly set. When in this position, the valve 25 is closed, and when the arm 34 strikes against the buffer-head 37 of the arm 35, the arm 34 is swung around, as indicated. by the dotted lines 44, and the result is that the rod 29 is turned, swinging its arm 28 to the position shown by dotted line 45, thus opening the valve 25, admitting steam to the air-cylinder 17, so as to actuate the piston-rod 16, which draws the outer end of the mail-bag frame 8 inwardly with suficient force to throw the mail-bag from its resting-place on the apron 9 and deposit it into the chute 6 7. A coiled spring 46 on the vertical bar 31 serves to throw back the arm or to hold it beneath the car as soon as the segments are disengaged from each other. 3

In the pipe 22, between the valve 25 and the air-cylinder 17, is a relief-valve 47, the stem of which is attached to an operating-cord 48, which passes up through the floor of the car to a point within reach of the operator, the object being to provide an exhaust for the cylinder 17, so that the piston may again be thrown outwardly and the mail-bag frame returned to its normal position.

While I have described the invention as connected up with the train-pipe and using the brake-air, I may, if desired, connect the same with the signal-pipes, or steam may be used directly from the steam-pipes or the engine. When connected up with the train or signal or steam pipes, the air in said pipes may be used in the usual manner, as the reservoir 19 always contains enough air under suilicient pressure to operate the mechanism. and the air used from the line of pipe 21 will not interfere with the train or signal pipes connected therewith should the air in them be used for braking or signaling purposes.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of my invention will be readily understood, and various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of my invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of the principles or advantages thereof.

What I claim as new is- 1. In a delivering mechanism for railwaycars, the combination of a delivering-frame having a pivotal attachment to said car, an ai rcylinder having a piston therein, connected with said delivering-framc, levers l'or operating same and means for automatically actuating said levers whereby said delivery-frame is tilted or dumped, substantially as set forth.

2. In a delivery mechanism for railwaycars, the combination of a delivering-frame having a pivotal connection with said car. an air-cylinder having a piston therein connected with said delivery-frame, levers for operating same and fluid-pressure mechanism for automatically actuating said levers whereby said delivery-frame is tilted or dumped, substantially as set forth.

3. In a delivery mechanism for railwaycars, the combination of a delivering-frame having a pivotal connection with said car, an air-cylinder having a piston therein connected with said delivery-frame, fluid-pressure mechanism for actuating the piston whereby said delivery-frame is tilted or dumped, a compressed-fluid reservoir connected with said fluid-pressu re mechanism, means for automatically controlling the admission of said fluid to said fluid-pressure mechanism, and means for exhausting said air-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

4. In a delivery mechanism for railwaycars, the combination of a delivering-frame having a pivotal connection with said car, an air-cylinder having a piston therein connected with said delivery-frame, a compressed-fluid mechanism for actuating the piston to tilt and dump said frame, acompressed-fluid reservoir connected with said fluid-pressure mechanism, a relief-valve for exhausting the said compressed fluid from said air-cylimler, a valve for controlling the admission of said fluid to said fluid-pressure mechanism, and means for automatically opening said valve, substantially as set forth.

5. In a delivering mechanism for railwayears, the combination of a delivering-frame having a pivotal connection with said car, an

. air-cylinder having a piston therein connected with said delivery-frame, and fluid-pressure anism for actuating same, a pair of parallel vertical bars extending up into the car, adjustably geared to each other by segmental gearing, oneof said bars'being connected up with and adapted to control the air-supply to said air-cylinder, and the other bar having at its lower end a right-angled arm to swing out from the car and adapted to actuate the bar controlling theair-supply, as set forth.

7. In a mail-delivery mechanism, ainail-receiving box adjacent to a railway-track having on one side a 'door'hinged at its upper end and adapted to swing inwardly, a chute with an inclined floor leading down from said door and parallel with the railway-track and mechanism near the ends of said chute for actuating the car mechanism, whereby the mailbag on said mechanism will be deposited on said inclined floor and delivered to said receiving-box, as set forth.

8. In a mail-delivery mechanism, a closed mail-receivin g box adjacent to a railway-track, having at one side a door hinged at its upper end and adapted to swing inwardly, said closed box and operating-door constituting a pneumatic means for checking the impact of the mail bag, in combination with an inclined floor and chute leading to the door of the box, and means for delivering a mail-bag to the inclined floor.

9. In mail-delivering mechanism, a post adjacent to a railwaytrack, having thereon a swinging arm and means for holding the same at any suitable angle, a buffer-head on the end of said arm and a mail-car and means for engaging with said buifer-head, substantially as set forth. 7

10. In mail-delivering mechanism, a post adjacent to 'a railway-track, having thereon a swinging arm and means for holding the same at any suitable angle. combined with a chute parallel with said railway-track and in line with said post, a mail-receiving box at the opposite end of said chute, and mail-car having mechanism thereon to engage with said buffer-head and deliver mail-bags to said chute.

11. In delivery mechanism for railway-cars, the combination of a mail-car, having across the door thereof a horizontal rocking bar with a bag-catching arm and an operating-handle thereon, a delivery-frame below said arm, hinged to the side of the car, the rear end of said frame and the handle of the catching-arm being operatively connected together, and means beneath said car for dumping said delivery-frame and setting said catching-arm, as herein set forth.

12. In a delivery mechanism for railwaycars, the combination in a mail-car of swinging dumping-frames for delivering mail-bags, air-cylinders connected with said dumpingtables and means for operating same, means for venting said air-cylinders from the car, a reservoir connected with the train-pipes and with said air-cylinders, and a check-valve in the branch from the train-pipe to the air-reservoir, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN H. BURR.

Witnesses:

J. B. J ONES, JOHN W. BLAKE. 

